BENTELER AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION

According to U.S. Department of Labor enforcement records, BENTELER AUTOMOTIVE CORPORATION — a motor vehicle steering and suspension components (except spring) manufacturing facility located at 4401 NORTH PARK DRIVE, OPELIKA, AL 36801 — was the subject of a formal OSHA inspection that resulted in 19 citation(s) and cumulative proposed penalties of $19,625.00. The inspection case was opened on 2009-02-19.

The volume of citations issued during this inspection suggests systematic compliance deficiencies rather than isolated incidents. Facilities with 10 or more citations typically face comprehensive abatement requirements and may be subject to follow-up inspections.

BLS Injury Data: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2022), this industry sector has an occupational injury rate of 3.3 per 100 full-time workers — 22% above the national average of 2.7. The sector fatality rate is 2.3 per 100,000 workers.

Industry Benchmark: The total penalty of $19,625.00 is more than 3.0× the national average of $6,436.62 for facilities in the Manufacturing sector (NAICS 336330). This sector encompasses 82,943 inspected facilities nationwide with aggregate penalties totaling $533.9M.

State Context: Within AL, this facility's penalty places it at the 97th percentile among 30,935 inspected facilities. The statewide average penalty is $3,893.70.

Citation Analysis: The inspection produced 19 citations spanning 7 distinct OSHA regulatory standards. The citation breakdown includes: 13 serious — A workplace hazard that could cause death or serious physical harm exists, and the employer knew or should have known about the condition. 2 other-than-serious — The violation has a direct relationship to job safety and health but is unlikely to cause death or serious physical harm.

Enforcement Timeline: Citations were issued beginning April 16, 2008 with the latest abatement deadline set for July 29, 2009. Of the 19 total citations, 12 (63%) have been marked as abated in DOL records, suggesting partial progress toward required corrective actions.

Penalty Assessment: The cumulative penalty of $19,625.00 reflects OSHA's gravity-based penalty calculation methodology, which considers the severity of potential injury, the probability of occurrence, the employer's size, good faith, and violation history. The per-citation average of $1,032.89 falls within the standard penalty range.

The enforcement record for Benteler Automotive Corporation’s Opelika facility reveals a systemic failure in administrative safety controls and high-hazard program management. The citation density across several distinct regulatory areas—specifically Respiratory Protection (1910.134), Permit-Required Confined Spaces (1910